Carriage-step



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. MAT'ISON, OF DASSEL, MINNESOTA.

CARRIAGE-STEP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 499,327, dated .Tune'13, 1893.

Application filed January 7,1893. Serial No. 45 7,555. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. MA'r'rsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dassel,in the county of Meeker and State of Minnesota, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Carriage-Steps; and I dodeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in steps for carriages, hacks,dac., and has forits objects to provide4 a durable, cheap, extensiblecarriage step that may be lowered down so as to form several steps, andraised so as to clear safely over obstructions that might break thesteps when the carriage is in motion. I attain these objects by thenovel construction and arrangement of partsillustrated in theaccompanying drawings, inl which- Figure 1, is a front elevation of mycarriage step in its raised position. Fig. 2, is an edge View of Fig. 1,with a small portion of the carriage shown in section. Fig. 3,is a rearview of the step in the extended position shown in dotted lines in Fig.2. Fig. 4, is an enlarged sectional view on the line a, a, of Fig. 1.Fig. 5, is a perspective detail view.

Referring to the dii'ereut parts of the drawings by reference numbers,1, represents the threshold; 2, the bottom of the carriage.

3, is an angularly formed plate secured by the bolts 4, and screws '7,to-the carriage. To the plate 3, is secured by rivets S, the plate 9,the front end of which forms the upper and first step 10.

11, is the secondv step.

12, is the third and 13, is the fourth step.

The step 11, is formed of a single plate of metal having a forward bentportion 14, forming the step proper; a pendent body 15, provided at itstop end with rearwardly extending flanges or lips 16, secured to theplate 9, by rivets as 8, or by bolts as 17, or where the article is castfrom malleable iron or other cast metal the parts 14, 15, and 9, andeven the plate 3, may be cast in one piece.

18, are orifices cut out in the pendent bodies of all the steps toreduce the quantity of materials and still retain such considerablewidth as will secure rigidity to the steps when lowered and hanging onpivots, as will presently be more fully described.

In the lower rear portion of the body plate 15, I secure rigidly therivets 19, which project through the slots 20, in the body plate 2l.

At the sides of said slots are provided recesses 22, for receiving theheads 23, of the pivots 19, making the heads 23, toY come iiush with therear side of the plate 21, so that the next body plate 24, may slideover them. The pivots 19, and their heads 23, serve to keep the plates21, and 15, together, and permit the plate 21, to slide up and down onthe plate 15. In the rear of the lower end of the plate 21,1 securerigidly the pivots 25, which extend through the clots 26, in theplate24, and are provided with heads 27, overhanging the rear side ofthe plates 24, so as to keep it together with the plate2l, and permit itto slide up and down on the latter.

The plate 9, is provided with downwardly extending lugs 29, (best shownin Fig. 5,) in said lugs I journal a small shaft 30, on which I securebetween the lugs 29, a roller 31, to the face of which I secure by thescrews 32,

the end 33, of the leather strap 34, which has its lower end 35, securedby rivets 36, to the bottom end 'of the plate 24. I further secure uponthe shaft 30, a smaller roller 37, to the cylindrical face of which Isecure by rivets 38, the end of another strap 39, which extends upwardthrough an aperture 40, to the inside of the carriage where it isprovided at its up per end 41, with a hand-hold 42.

44, is a peg secured in the plate 3, and projecting with its upwardlybent free end 45, through the woodwork of the carriage and engages in ahole 46, in the strap 39, for holding the steps in the raised position.

When it is desired to lower the steps the handle 42, is taken hold of,the .strap 39, disengaged from the peg end 45, and the weight of thesteps will cause them to slide down until the upper ones of the pivots23, and 27, touch the upper termination of the slots 20, and 26; whilethus being lowered the steps will unwind the strap 34, from the roller3l, thereby winding the strap 39, onto the small roller 37. To raise thesteps the handhold 42,

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is raised which will unwind the strap 39,and wind the longer strap 34,upon the roller 31. 47, are guiding lugs formed upon the rear sides ofthe upper ends of the plates 21, and 24, for the purpose of keeping thesaid plates and the strap 34, centrally in line with each other, therebysecuring proper and easy movement of said parts.

When it is desired to make these steps from sheet metal (which may bepreferable) the plate 9, may be stamped in two halves as indicated bythe division line 4S, in Fig. 5; this will allow the over-bent lugs 29,to be stamped any desired size.

I do not wish to confine myself to any eX- act diterence between thesize of the rollers 31, and 37, neither to the location ot' the peg 44,as it may in some cases be preferable to have the handle and peg withinreach of the driver upon the top of the carriage. It is also evidentthat chains or wire ropes may be substituted for the leather straps 34,and 39, and the number of steps may be increased or decreased withoutdiverging from the spirit of this invention.

What I claim as new, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination in a carriage step of the rigid plate 10, the pendentrigid plate 15, the pivots 19, having heads as 23,the sliding plate 21,having the slots 20, and recesses 22, for the headed pivots to slide in,the pendent plate 24, the slots 26, headed pivots 27, steps 11, 12, and13, the guiding lugs 47, and means for raising and lowering said steps,substantiall y as shown and described and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the steps 11, 12, 13, the sliding extensibleslotted plates 26, 21, the rigid plate 15, the plate 9, the lugs 29, theshaft 30, journaled therein; the large roller 31, having a strap as 34,secured to it and to the steps to be raised, the smaller roller 37,strap 39, and handle 42, for by a short motion of the hand to cause alonger motion of the steps in raising or lowering them and means forsecuring the strap 39, and the steps in either position and means forsecuring the steps to the carriage, substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. In an extensible carriage step, the combination of a broad rigidplate as 15, the broad sliding plates 2l, and 24, having slots as 20,and 2G, near the outer edges for sliding and hanging on pivots or headedpegs, securedin the nextplate, said plates having a cutaway as 18, inthe middle and horizontal portions as 11, 12, and 13, to step on, andare of such width between the slots and pegs by which they are joinedtogether, that when the steps are suspended thejoints have no tendencyto bend sidewise when a person steps on them, substantially as shown anddescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. MATTSON.

Witn esses: g

AUG. SALLBERY, J. ALM.

